Thermoplastic heat responsive fire vent apparatus

ABSTRACT

A building member for use as an enclosure panel includes a sheet of material formed with a plurality of radial disposed troughs which are directed outwardly and downwardly from the panel center to the panel periphery which has a planar flange. The troughs divide the panel into a plurality of rounded sections which are peaked above the troughs bottoms and perimeter flange.

United States Naidus [451 Nov. 11,1975

1 1 THERMOPLASTIC HEAT RESPONSIVE FIRE VENT APPARATUS [75] Inventor: Edward Sidney Naidus, Glen Rock, NJ.

[73] Assignee: RCA Corporation, New York, NY.

[22] Filed: Jan. 9, 1974 [21] Appl. N0.: 431,694

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 292,092, Sept. 25, 1972,

abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 52/232; 52/80; 52/200; 52/316 [51] Int. Cl. E04D 13/03 [58] Field of Search 52/80, 81, 200, 3, 4, 316, 52/72, 232, 199; D13/1 .1; 49/1, 7

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,614,240 1/1927 Hand 52/200 2,416,284 2/1947 Brown 108/1 2,529,945 11/1950 Hyman 52/316 2,703,060 3/1955 2,918,023 12/1959 Bettcher 52/81 X Bloxsom 52/200 3,247,632 4/1966 3,307,303 3/1967 Bloxsom 52/200 X 3,307,309 3/1967 Bloxsom 52/200 3,455,073 7/1969 Kiekhaefer..... 52/397 X 3,520,245 7/1970 Painter 52/200 X 3,731,442 5/1973 Kiyoshi 52/232 3,788,013 l/l974 Veen, Jr. 52/200 D199,969 l/1965 Hallock D13/1 .1

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 649,729 l/l951 '=United Kingdom 52/82 Primary Examiner-Ernest R. Purser Assistant ExaminerLeslie A. Braun Attorney, Agent, or FirmEdward J. Norton; William Squire [5 7 ABSTRACT A building member for use as an enclosure panel includes a sheet of material formed with a plurality of radial disposed troughs which are directed outwardly and downwardly from the panel center to the panel periphery which has a planar flange. The troughs divide the panel into a plurality of rounded sections which are peaked above the troughs bottoms and perimeter flange.

2 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures US. Patent 'Noy.11,1975 Sheetlof3 3,918,226

U.S. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 Sheet 2 01-3 3,918,226

US. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 Sheet 3 of3 3,918,226

The present invention relates to building enclosure members and moreparticularly to roofing members.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Thermoplastic compounds have recently found wide spread utilization as building materials To these com pounds have been added Characteristics which make them translucent to light and have good weatherability.

However, when such compounds are utilized as,enclo ,L-"J *"7H": sures for buildings, especially for a roofing orpanel ap;

plication, the structural characteristics of the compounds for enclosing large areas are such that.traditional framing members need be employed to prevent sagging or collapse when subjected to anticipated roofing or structural loads thereon.

One particular application is where fusible thermoplastic material is utilized as heat and smoke vents in the roofs of large buildings such as factories or the like. Legal or insurance regulationsrequire the roofing system in this application to meet certain characteristics and requirements prior to the structure being given ap proval for fire insurance underwriting. Because they lack sufflcient structural strength, thermoplastic roofing enclosures generally have met with little success in meeting these requirements. As a result, fusible type heat and smoke vents made of thermoplastic compounds have not found wide spread commercial utilization.

A roofing member constructed in accordance with the present invention overcomes these difficulties and these prior art constructions by providing not only a roofing member which provides a weather tight seal against all of the elements occurring the ambient, but, also, fully opens in case of fire to allow hot air and smoke to risethrough the opening in the roof provided by this structure and does not add unusual risks as a structural element due to the nature of the material. That is, the building member constructed in accordance with the present invention withstands substantial impact and loads as required ofa roofing member without the need for additional structural supporting members.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view ofa shaped closure panel constructed inaccordan'ce with the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof showing imaginary contour lines, g

FIGS. 3, 4 and S are respective cutaway side elevational views along lines 33, ,4 4 and 5 5, respectively, of FIG. 2, i i

FIG. 6 is a side cutaway elevational view of the closure panel and supporting frame thereof constructed in accordance with the presentinvention,

FIGS. 7 and 8 are plan views of other structures embodying the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The enclosure panel 8 of FIGS. 1 through 5 is made by forming a sheet of moldable rigid material into a dome-like structure having spheroidal convex peaks 10. The curved rounded exterior surfaces of the peaks 10'slope downward toward each other, each peak 10 being located in a triangular section of the panel, approximately centrally, as shown. The curved surfaces of the peaksDlO slope toward'each other so as to form trpiIg Iis I 'ZwIiichm eet'at'center axis 20 of the enclosure formed by the panel perimeter defined by flange 18 and slope downwardly and outwardly toward the corners of the panel. In the plan view the troughs 12 appear as spokes emanating from axis 20 and as diagonals of the panel perimeter. Each peak 10 is surrounded by two troughs l2 and a portion of flange 18 along one side of the perimeter, which together in the plan view form a triangular approximate spheroidal section having a rounded exterior surface. The outer rounded surfaces 16 of each of the peaks 10 slope downward and away from the corresponding peak toward adjacent section edge 14 and toward troughs 12. The widths of each of the troughs I2 are uniform along the lengths thereof, are approximately V shaped as shown and are substantially the same shape among the different troughs. The troughs may also have other contours approximating a V such as a rounded or flattened configuration.

" Flange 18 extends along each of edges 14 of the triangular sections and lies in' and defines plane 21 normal to axis 20. The highest point of the peaks 10 above the plane 21 is' given as H as shown in FIG. 3. The four peaks 10 are preferably each given the same height H. The maximum height P of the bottoms of the troughs 12 above the plane 21 of perimeter or flange 18 is always less than the maximum height H of the peaks 10, the thickness of the material being negligible in this re- 'spect. It has been found that improved structural rigidity is provided the panel constructed in accordance with the present invention by making the relationship (H/P) such that H is always greater than P. Preferably, ithas been found that maximum structural rigidity is provided the panel when the ratio (I-I/P) is a value between 1.3 and 1.7.

Troughs l2 and the rounded surfaces around peaks 10 together increase the rigidity of the panel in the direction along axis 20 such that additional supporting structure is not required at axis 20 along the central portions of the panel as otherwise would be required. The planar flange l8 advantageously permits the enclosure of simple or multiplanar building areas and is readily adated for present day construction techniques.

The enclosure panel of the present invention is preferably molded from a sheet of thermoplastic compound known as polyvinyl-chloride which is a fusible thermoplastic material that softens and distorts when subjected to high temperatures and does not support fire. At the same time this material has good weatherability characteristics, is translucent and serves advantageous ly as a building skylight as well as a building heat and smoke vent. By sloping the troughs l2 downwardly and outwardly from the center of the panel at axis 20, and providing spheroidal shaped surfaces at peaks 10, rain and melting ice or snow runs off into the troughs 12 to flange l8 thence may be conveyed harmlessly to the roof or to a drain.

The panel of the present invention may be formed by any suitable technique but when made of thermoplastic is preferably formed as follows. The sheet of thermoplastic is preheated in a suitable oven at a temperature and for a time duration so as to soften the material, permitting the material to stretch or elongate when subjected to tensile stresses, as well known in the thermoplastic forming art. The hot sheet is then placed in a channel-like frame which receives flange 18 around the panel periphery. The sheet and frame are then placed on a planar surface such as provided by a table or the like having a pressurized gas inlet aperture disposed therein. The inlet is centrally disposed within a gas tight frame clamping fixture secured to the table surface and adapted to secure the channel-like frame and enclosed hot sheet to the table forming a gas tight chamber between the sheet, frame, fixture and table surface. Two ropes, cables, rods, tubes, strips or other suitable elongated members are mounted along or closely parallel to the diagonal of the sheet by securing their ends to the clamping fixture. A suitable gas such as air at ambient temperature is then applied under pressure to the inlet aperture and forced into the gas tight chamber. The pressure elongates the sheet causing it to deform by blowing it up into a bubble. The elongated members disposed along the diagonals of the chamber form the troughs 12 of the enclosure panel as the sheet blows" up. The amount of tension in the elongated members when installed determines the height P. The longer the members, the greater the height P. When cables or ropes are used, the cables overlap at axis 20 such that the troughs l2 lying in intersecting diagonals will be at slightly different heights P above the plane of flange 18 in accordance with the diameter of the rope or cable. This difference in height is of negligible effect in the characteristics of the panel constructed in accordance with the present invention.

In the alternative, instead of using cables, four rigid strut members may be used and assembled over the pressure chamber aperture in pyramid-like arrangement. In this case each strut will form the respective troughs in the panel, are substantially straight and thus form troughs which have straight line bottoms rather than the curved bottoms formed by the cables.

In FIG. 6, a supporting frame structure 24 secures enclosure panel 8 to a roof 25 or the like of a building. Frame 24 includes an extruded aluminum support structure 26, outer shield 28 and a roof securing structure 31. Structure 26 includes a bottom wall 32 from which two spaced elongated projections 30 depend and which extend continuously along the length of structure 26 into and out of the drawing. The upper edges of projections 30 form a contact surface and seat for the bottom surface of flange 18 which rests thereon and are slidably engaged with flange 18. Projections 30 extend centrally from bottom wall 32 which has at the outer end thereof an upwardly extending wall 34 which extends along the periphery of the frame structure 26 and an inner downwardly depending wall 36 which also extends along the length of structure 26. Integral with downwardly depending wall 36 is bottom wall member 38 which extends inwardly toward the center of panel 8 from wall 36 and outwardly, as shown. Depending perpendicular to bottom wall 38 is wall 40 which extends both above and below wall 38, as shown. Upper end of wall 40 includes a channel 42 which is adapted to take a threaded fastener or the like.

All walls 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 are extruded as a single integral straight aluminum form and are preferably mutually perpendicular with the walls from which they depend. Each of the ends of structure 24 meeting at the corners of panel 8 along flange 18 are mitered and welded in a conventional manner to form a frame to receive flange 18. The end portion of bottom wall 38 opposite wall 40 has an upwardly slanting extending wall 44 whose upper rim hooks over to form an upper curved surface 46. A channel 48 formed by walls 36, 38 and 44 serves as a drainage conduit for rain water running off the exterior surface of panel 8. An aperture (not shown) in wall 38 is provided to permit drainage of the run-off water onto the roof.

Outer L shaped shield 28 is secured to channel 42 by a suitable fastener or the like. An elongated channel member 31 made of aluminum or other suitable material has one side wall 50 secured to bottom wall 38 of structure 26. A suitable insulating material 52 is secured by adhesive or other suitable fastening arrangements to the exterior of the base of the channel formed by structure 31. Structure 31 is then secured to a roof in a conventional manner securing the entire dome frame structure to the roof 25 by way of the other side wall 27 of structure 31.

In operation, when the inner surface 56 of panel 8, when used as a fire vent, is exposed to extreme temperatures, as caused by a fire within a building, the fusible characteristics of the material of panel 8 cause the panel to shrivel and fall out of the aperture formed by the frame structure 24. To assist in the falling out of the material of the panel 8, the flange 18 is slidably supported on projections 30 which provide minimal friction contact therewith permitting flange 18 to slide outwardly in the direction of the arrow x. Hook surface 46 is made smooth in the direction facing flange 18 so that as the flange disengages from a channel formed by member 28 and walls 32 and 34, flange 18 falls downward in contact with the rounded portion of surface 46 and slips off into the central aperture of channel 31. Surface 46 is made lower than the projection 30 so as to assist flange l8, and thus panel 8, to fall downwardly into the aperture.

For illustration, a panel constructed in accordance with the present invention has been made of 0.063 inch thick polyvinyl-chloride material having a height H of 10.5 inches and a height P,8 inches, set in a frame having a 53 inch square side. This panel has been tested to support a minimum of 40 lbs. per square foot of distributed load and will resist deterioration from ordinary exposure on an exposed roof for at least 5 years. This material has a diffused light transmission of about 35 percent to provide desirable skylighting characteristics.

In FIG. 7 there is illustrated another embodiment of the enclosure panel constructed in accordance with the present invention in which there are two adjacently formed panels 8' and 8" which are formed from a single sheet and integral at the boundary thereof 60. The panels 8 and 8" are identical to the panel 8. Of course. the panels need not be square but may be rectangular in shape as suitable for a particular application. By placing a plurality of these structures side by side to each other an even greater roof area may be enclosed.

A further embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 8 in which a hexagonal panel 70 is shown. The relationship (H/P) for the panel 70 is the same as that for panel 8 of FIG. 2. Panel 70 is divided into a plurality of triangular shaped spherical sections 72 which are formed in a similar manner as triangular sections of panel 8. That is a maximum rounded peak section is centrally disposed within each of the triangular spheroidal sections 72 with the sides thereof rounded off and rolling downwardly toward the troughs 74 disposed therebetween. The hexagonal perimeter of the panel 70 of FIG. 8 is flanged in a manner similar to that of flange 18 of panel 8 and defines a planar enclosure area for installation on a frame structure for subsequent utilization on the exterior of a building.

It has been found that maximum structural rigidity is obtained when the perimeter of the panel defines a geometrically symmetrical figure such as a square, circle and regular polygons. Preferably, in rectangular configurations, the ratio of length to width (L/W) should not be greater than two to achieve maximum panel strength and stability.

What is claimed is:

1. A fire vent apparatus for releaseably enclosing a building fire vent opening and capable of withstanding greater external loading such as snow and ice on said apparatus than does a simple convex dome without increased thickness or weight of material comprising:

a curb member defining said opening, said member having a vent cover receiving recess in communication with said opening, and

a thermoplastic heat responsive sheet vent cover member which softens and shrinks in the presence of temperatures elavated above ambient for exposing said opening in the presence of said elevated temperatures, said sheet member having a flange surrounding said sheet member received within said recess, said sheet member and said curb member being arranged for disengaging said received flange from said recess upon said softening and shrinking of said sheet member, said flange being disposed in a given plane and defining a substantially symmetrical figure, said sheet member comprising an, integral convex dome depending from said flange, said dome having a plurality of separate beam forming, external load-bearing troughs intersecting one another at about the center of said dome, each trough terminating at its ends solely adjacent said flange, said troughs and said flange forming a plurality of contiguous triangular convex dome-like sections in said convex dome, the intersection of said troughs being spaced vertically from said plane a first distance, and said flange the peaks of said convex sections being spaced vertically from said plane a second distance greater than said first distance, and said flange said convex sections, load bearing troughs and said first and second distances and said flange being arranged to provide the sole support for said integral, convex dome and to provide a vent apparatus which withstands greater external loading than does a simple, single convex dome of the same material and of the same thickness.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said curb member includes an outwardly depending shoulder on which is disposed at least one ridge for engaging the bottom surface of said flange, and a releaseably secured member spaced from and adjacent said ridge to form with said shoulder said recess.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO. 3,918, 226 DATED November 11, 1975 INVENTOFHS) 1 Edward Sidney Naidus It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Col. 6, line 18; "and said flange" should be deleted.

Col. 6, line 21; "and said flange" should be deleted.

Signed and Scaled this twenty-fourth D a y of February 1 9 76 [SEAL] RUTH C. MASON (mnmissimzer ufParents and Trademarks 

1. A fire vent apparatus for releaseably enclosing a building fire vent opening and capable of withstanding greater external loading such as snow and ice on said apparatus than does a simple convex dome without increased thickness or weight of material comprising: a curb member defining said opening, said member having a vent cover receiving recess in communication with said opening, and a thermoplastic heat responsive sheet vent cover member which softens and shrinks in the presence of temperatures elavated above ambient for exposing said opening in the presence of said elevated temperatures, said sheet member having a flange surrounding said sheet member received within said recess, said sheet member and said curb member being arranged for disengaging said received flange from said recess upon said softening and shrinking of said sheet member, said flange being disposed in a given plane and defining a substantially symmetrical figure, said sheet member comprising an, integral convex dome depending from said flange, said dome having a plurality of separate beam forming, external load-bearing troughs intersecting one another at about the center of said dome, each trough terminating at its ends solely adjacent said flange, said troughs and said flange forming a plurality of contiguous triangular convex dome-like sections in said convex dome, the intersection of said troughs being spaced vertically from said plane a first distance, and said flange the peaks of said convex sections being spaced vertically from said plane a second distance greater than said first distance, and said flange said convex sections, load bearing troughs and said first and second distances and said flange being arranged to provide the sole support for said integral, convex dome and to provide a vent apparatus which withstands greater external loading than does a simple, single convex dome of the same material and of the same thickness.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said curb member includes an outwardly depending shoulder on which is disposed at least one ridge for engaging the bottom surface of said flange, and a releaseably secured member spaced from and adjacent said ridge to form with said shoulder said recess. 